Dead Space 3 is sci-fi horror not for the faint of heart

I’m starting to think Dead Space 3 should have been pre-packaged with an extra pair of underwear, because you might need a wardrobe change while playing the sci-fi horror sequel.

The prologue begins on the ice planet of Hoth. No, just kidding, but it’s a little snowball of a world where you’re a lone soldier looking for a lost codex on a crashed, derelict ship. A derelict ship crawling with necromorphs popping out of seemingly nowhere, scaring the life right out of you.

Fast forward 200 years in the future, and those in-game scare tactics continue throughout the game while playing as returning protagonist Isaac Clarke. The last military battalion comes searching for his help knowing of his past experience dealing with Markers — giant, alien beacons that change dead humans into the hideous, necromorph monsters that threaten to prematurely end humanity. They also set out to rescue Isaac’s former girlfriend, Ellie Langford, and her missing research team.

The scares come regularly, to the point where every door opened makes you aim down the sights of your oddly-modded, futuristic weapon, waiting for whatever manner of creature to attack you from every side. And grates. There are wall and ceiling grates everywhere in every room of the derelict spaceships you explore. Each one has the potential to house something creepy that waits for you to walk by before jumping out, lifting you a few feet off the couch, and requiring that spare pair of aforementioned tighty whities.

The visuals and sound all lend to the horror experience. The ghostly, overrun ships you traverse show their age, and have walls covered in both blood and graffiti with despairing messages from its dead crew. The attention to detail is admirable. There’s no heads-up display to get in the way while playing as well, which offers up more of a cinematic experience.

Every creek makes you look twice for necromorphs. Old doors labour open loudly, letting every deformed abomination know you’re coming. The monsters themselves let out terrifying screams as they pounce for the kill.

There are weapon benches that allow for the crafting of endless combinations of weapons from parts and resources found along the way, although it is a little overwhelming at first and takes a while to gain enough resources to make something worthwhile. It does gives you the choice of having a secondary fire on most weapons, so it’s possible to have a heavy, single shot to go along with an automatic, rapid-fire option in one gun. Suit kiosks are used to change armour and add upgrades. You can even don the N7 armour from Mass Effect 3 if you played that title previously.

With all the soil-yourself scares and an optional co-op mode in case you’re too scared to go it alone, Dead Space 3 does sci-fi horror so well, Ellen Ripley would be proud. That’s why it gets a 9 out of 10.

On The Bit Life Blog this week:

I chime in on this week’s PlayStation 4 announcement by Sony. It may be the next generation of gaming, but can it do my taxes?

By night, T.J. Colello is a sports reporter at the Cape Breton Post. Even later at night, he plays way too many video games to be considered healthy for a normal human being. He can be reached via email at tjcolello@cbpost.com, on Twitter @tjcolello, on Facebook at facebook.com/thebitlife or visit his blog at thebitlife.capebretonpost.com.